The following day Maenad was back at the castle, hung over. She took off her glamour ring before she snuck in. Best to keep that a surprise, she thought. Johan and Peewit were still gone, off on an errand for the king, so she decided to sleep off the previous night's excitement.

When midday came along, Johan and Peewit returned. They were late, but as often happened, they had involved themselves in an adventure, this time helping a Lady free her husband from kidnappers who were trying to ransom him for an exorbitant price. There was more to the story, and the two agreed to tell the whole tale over dinner.

They were tending to their mounts, or at least Johan was. Peewit was practicing some king of magic trick to show the King. That's what he said it was anyway, it was hard to tell exactly what the trick was supposed to be. Other than getting tied up in his own scarves.

"Heaven help us if you ever get it in your head to saw a person in half," said Johan as he untied his friend. "Or should I even be giving you ideas?"

Peewit was utterly deflated. Maenad was convinced he had Fey blood and had promised to find proof, and here he couldn't even do simple stage magic.

"You're back!" Exclaimed a soft voice behind them. It was Sabina, wearing a pale blue, black and white gown similar in cut to the pink one that had gotten ruined during the incident with the werewolf and the traitor. She had a bow and a quiver of arrows in her hand.

"Maenad cancelled my lesson today, she says she's sick with something and hasn't left her room. Do you have time to practice?"

"Of course! Let me go get some things," replied Johan. He always had time for Sabina.

"And while he's gone, let me show you my new magic trick!" piped up Peewit. It would be less embarrassing to have someone else untie him if he messed it up again.

Politeness demanded Johan check on Maenad, but she told him to go away when he knocked on her door. A page told him she had disappeared for all of yesterday and the previous night, showing up in her room early this morning. He was in love with the Princess, but considering she was betrothed to Prince Andrew, he allowed Maenad to pretend to be his lady-love.

He wished he hadn't. It was deceitful, which bothered him, and then there was fact that Maenad's temperamental behavior in public was often embarrassing. But the King and everyone else were convinced he liked the dark haired foreign woman, and the false courtship drew attention away from the time he spent with his real love. He would make things right later, after he was knighted, he told himself.

He met up with Sabina in the practice yard. She needed very little instruction; she was a better archer than some of the King's soldiers. Peewit needed lots of instruction though, he simply didn't have the attention span, and his arrows landed everywhere except the target.

"Aw, out of arrows. I'm going to go get them, hold your fire, please!"

"I suppose now would be a good time to take a break," Sabina said.

"Could you fetch us a drink while you're at it, Peewit?" Johan asked.

"Sure! I'm hungry anyway. This heat works up an appetite!"

"Everything works up your appetite!"

While Peewit gathered the arrows and ran off to bother the cooks in the kitchens, Johan offered to help Sabina improve her stance.

"Here, you're not holding the arrow right, it should be like this…"

He took her hand and re-arranged it on the fletched end of the arrow. As he moved her fingers, she felt something slide onto one. She let the arrow fly and it missed its mark, but when she looked at her hand she saw there was a silver ring with a single garnet on one finger.

"Oh!"

"Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful!" She gave him a hug in spite of them being relatively in the open.

"It was my mother's. I've been saving it to give to the girl I wanted to marry."

"You know that can't be me."

"I know," he replied with a sigh, "But I want you to have it anyway, If circumstances were different…"

"Are you sure – do you mean it?"

"I can't think of anyone else I would want to wear it."

"Not even Maenad?" she asked with a grin.

"Especially not her."

In the throne room, the King was dealing with far less pleasant matters. A rogue sorcerer on the edge of his kingdom was stirring up trouble. He seemed to be building an army, and heralds who went into the borders of his land were either scared off or driven out. Rumors were that he was testing alchemical concoctions that maimed and killed the wildlife in the countryside.

Pepin was a peaceful man, but he could not let someone as malevolent as Balthazar raise an army for unknown reasons. He informed his nephew Gerard and the barons and nobles whose lands bordered Balthazar's that military action might be necessary. It was with a heavy heart that he applied his seal to he letter to Gerard. He would much rather prepare for Sabina's wedding, and have Johan's adoubement be a reward for loyal service to the Kingdom than a preparation for war.

Which reminded him! He summoned his scribe to return and dictated a letter to Sir Edelhart, Johan's father. Neither had seen him since he returned from an ill-fated campaign in the east, and he was sure his old friend would not want to miss seeing his only son made a knight.